“A majority of such people are running chemist shops in the peripheral areas of Chandigarh,” said a police officer. (Representational)POLICE INVESTIGATION in connection with at least four cases of peddling medicine drugs established that the apprehended peddlers were running chemist shops
The four peddlers have been arrested during the span of a month. Three of them were found to be running shops on the basis of permits of someone else in Dadumajra village, Nayagaon and in Mani Majra, while one was found running the shop on his own valid permit in Sector 45.
The fact that the suspects were running chemist shops on the permit allotted to someone else puts a question mark on the functioning of the UT health department and the police has decided to take up the matter with them.
Narinder Kumar, 31, of Jhampur in Mohali was arrested on July 24 from near Football Stadium, Sector 17. He was running a chemist shop at Dadumajra village. Medicine drugs including 600 capsule of Tramadol Hydrocholoride IP, which is similar to opioids, bottles of Chloropheniramine Maleate along with codeine phosphate were recovered from his possession.
“Though Narinder Kumar was arrested by chance at police checking naka. during interrogation, he disclosed about his chemist shop. At the time of being apprehended, he did not have any permit for possessing the drugs. These medicine drugs cannot be sold and possessed without any valid prescription of authorised physicians,” said sources.
Vivek Sabarwal, 48, of Sector 40 was arrested on August 18. As many as 12 injections of Buprenrphine and Pheniramine Maleate along with 25 bottles of cough syrup Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Codeine Phosphate of 100 ML recovered from his possession. His interrogation revealed that he was running a chemist shop at Nayagaon village in Mohali. Buprenrphine is an opioid used to treat opioid disorders but cannot be sold without prescriptions.
“We have decided to take up the matter with concerning authorities including the UT health department and drug controller. It is a serious issue. We want to crack the entire network. The arrested people are running their business under the garb of chemist shops,” said officiating SSP (UT) Vinit Kumar.
“As per the modus operandi, the arrested suspects used to purchase these drugs from authorised distributors receiving valid receipts from them and further sold these to addicts without any prescription. A strip of the capsule of Tramadol costs Rs 200 if sold on the bill, but suspects were selling the strip for Rs 800 each,” said sources.
The crime branch arrested Amritpal Singh of phase 3B2. He owns a chemist shop in partnership in Sector 45. His chance arrest at a naka led the recovery of 100 Strips (Tablets) of Clevidol 100sr containing Tramodol Hydrochlorided IP 100 mg and 50 small Bottles of Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Codine Phosphate Syrup Syscodine 100 ml containing codine phosphate 10 mg.
“A majority of such people are running chemist shops in the peripheral areas of Chandigarh,” said a police officer.